To the outside world, Louisiana is known as the quirky state that’s filled with Voodoo and Mardi Gras celebrations and is home to Duck Dynasty. However, there is so much more to Louisiana once you get below the surface. Here are a few fun facts that most people don’t know about Louisiana:

-Louisiana’s legal system is not quite like the rest of the country’s. Instead of adopting English common law, Louisiana’s legal system derives from the Civil Code that was established by Napoleon in 1804. This code was combined with Spanish law, and was implemented in 1812.

-Professional wrestling was banned in Louisiana up until 2007.

-Louisiana is only one of two states in America that doesn’t have counties. Instead, the state is divided into parishes. Alaska is the other state that doesn’t have counties, and they are divided into boroughs.

-The tallest state capitol building in the United States is in Louisiana. The building is 34 stories, 450 feet tall, and was built in just over a year.

-The longest continuous bridge of water in the world belongs to Louisiana. TheLake Pontchartrain Causeway is composed of two bridges, is 24 miles long, and connects MetairiewithMandeville on the North Shore.

-Louisiana is home to several quirky “unofficial” capitals, and it may be our favorite fun fact about our great state:

1. 1. Rayneis known as “The Frog Capital of the World”
   2. Gueydan is called “The Duck Capital of America”
   3. Breaux Bridge is considered “The Crawfish Capital of the World”
   4. Church Point is called the “Buggy Capital of the World”
   5. Mamou is known as “The Cajun Music Capital of the World”

-We all know Louisiana is home to jazz, but they also claim to be the birthplace of U.S. opera. The first documented opera performance took place in 1796 in New Orleans and was a french comedy called Sylvian.The first Mardi Gras parade was held in 1837 in New Orleans. Floats followed about 20 years later in 1857.

-Speaking of Mardi Gras, visitors to New Orleans fill up 95% of hotel rooms during Mardi Gras, which rounds out to about 30,000 rooms.

-According to a New Orleans public ordinance, it is “unlawful for any person to use or wear in any public place, a hood or mask or anything of the nature of either or any facial disguise of any kind or description, calculated to conceal or hide the identity of the person or to prevent ready recognition of such person.” The only exception to this rule is when participating in religious or educational exhibitions, masquerade balls, or carnivals or parades during Mardi Gras.

-Float riders during the Mardi Gras parade are required by law to wear masks.

-The terms “Cajun” and “Creole” refer to two very different ethnic groups. Cajuns are descended from Acadians, who were French colonists that settled in Canada in the 1600s and were then forced out by the British.  Creoles consist of French and Spanish ancestry that were considered upper class in the 18th century. Over time, the term began to include native-born slaves of African descent and free people of color.

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